First off, I would like to say thanks to everyone who has chimed in with advice and words of encouragement over the last few days. It really does help to hear about other people's experiences and get their "tips and tricks" for making it through this awful recovery period.

Anyway, yesterday evening was clearly the low point so far. I was in such pain I ended up sobbing on the phone to the doctor. His only recommendation was to keep up with the Percocet and benadryl, drink a lot, and if I was still miserable this morning, then he would recheck me into the hospital where I could get stronger pain meds and IV hydration.

The, I spiked a fever of as high as 101.5-102. My entire body seemed to ache like when I had the flu, swallowing was hell, and I felt incredibly depressed. However, I did hang in there through a restless night, forced even more fluids than before - and today I really do feel a LOT better. One Percocet every 3 hours is doing a pretty good job of keeping the throat/mouth pain in check, the fever has gone way down, and I don't have the depressed, "doomed" feeling I did yesterday.

I am kind of wondering now if, in spite of feeling like I was drinking constantly, I was actually a bit dehydrated yesterday? It would help to explain the fever, the body aches, head ache, and excessive throat/mouth pain... I started feeling a little crummy again this afternoon (same symptoms as yesterday - overall pain, fever) and I drank a couple of big glasses of water, and it went away. So, I have redoubled my efforts to make sure I am drinking enough.

One area I have not done so well in is eating - I have consumed almost nothing other than tea and water and a little broth in 5 days. partly it is the pain of swallowing, but also I find I just have no appetite and NO desire to eat. The nurse said that the important thing is to drink, and that not eating isn't a really big deal, but I worry a bit anyway. I am down 5 or 6 pounds already...

So, overall things are looking up at the moment. Of course, if I have learned anything over the alst few days, it's that this is a real roller coaster ride, and tomorrow could be a new low, no matter how OK I feel now

It sounds like you are at the tough point. I am feeling so well now that I almost can't believe that it's going to get worse.

It must be rough dealing with a bad fever on top of everything. Hang in there and force yourself to drink. I have found it easier to drink the flavored waters like Propel because they have a nice taste. I have been drinking some Gatorade but it makes my throat more mucousy.

I have been lucky because I have still had quite an appetite--I am actually worried that I will gain weight. But I still haven't made it to the tough part yet. Keep drinking fluids, the more you drink, the easier it gets and I think it has helped me a lot. I have been drinking 100+ ounces/day.